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Friday, August 24, 2012

How to Choose Your Medical Tourism Doctor

Medical tourism is fast gaining ground. More and more people are opting to travel abroad to seek high quality medical treatment. In summary, medical tourism involves people traveling to a foreign country to avail of high quality medical, surgical and even dental care. The main reasons for traveling to a foreign country to seek medical care are because of affordability and better quality of medical care.All things being equal, affordability is the main issue. Depending on what country you choose and the medical care you need, medical tourism allows savings of between 10-50% of what you are most likely to spend at home. Even if you include the cost of air fare, hotel accommodations and everything you are most likely to spend in a medical vacation, medical tourism still provides a cheaper alternative than health care at home. The Internet has made it possible for more people to take advantage of the huge savings medical tourism provides. Through the Internet you can check out a hospital before you travel to a particular foreign country. The Internet also allows you to choose the doctor from the foreign country you can entrust your medical care. Your dilemma though is how to verify each of the information you read about a prospective doctor. Here are some tips on how to make sense of all the information and eventually choose your medical tourism doctor:1.Choose your medical tourism country and hospital first. The hospital you choose must have all the necessary accreditations. A Medical Tourism Facilitator can help you out in these because he already has a list of accredited hospitals you can choose from.2.Utilize the services of Medical Tourism Facilitators and Health Travel Services. They have a directory of accredited doctors from the country of your choice and for the medical treatment you need.3.Check on the credentials of the doctor. Try to get in touch with his former patients and colleagues to ensure that he is a highly competent doctor in his field of expertise. 4.Seek a personal recommendation from a former medical tourism participant who have undergone the same medical care you need.5.In some cases, it also helps to involve your local doctor in your search. Doctors are members and accredited by a number of worldwide medical organizations. Your doctor might know someone or may have access to help you find the right doctor in your chosen medical tourism country.6.Consider a doctor that speaks your language. Communication between patient and doctor is extremely important. While you have your own criteria in choosing a doctor to give you medical care, if you choose to avail of medical tourism, your Medical Tourism Facilitator or Operator are the best sources for a prospective doctor. They have gone through the rigors of pre-qualifying hospitals and doctors to make sure each of them are internationally accredited. They have all the information you need to qualify a doctor. They will also be able to arrange for video conferences or phone calls with your short list of doctors to help you decide on which doctor to choose. Some tourism facilitators are also able to arrange for your chosen foreign doctor and your local doctor to discuss your medical case.